King Charles III has adopted a new title, which was stripped from Prince Harry.
The Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down as senior working members of the Royal Family in March 2020, which was branded “Megxit” by the public.
Harry was said to be “devastated” after he was stripped of his royal titles – including Captain General of the Royal Marines.
Now, King Charles III has taken over the title of Captain General of the Royal Marines.
Following his appointment, the 73-year-old said in a personal message: “It is the greatest possible pleasure to assume the role of your Captain General.”
“I am exceptionally proud to follow in the footsteps of so many members of my family over the last three and a half centuries, all of whom held the role with a deep sense of admiration.”
“The Royal Marines have a distinguished and unparalleled history, both on land and at sea. I draw immense inspiration from your courage, determination, self-discipline and a remarkable capacity to endure in the most extreme environments.”
“I feel greatly honoured to become part of the Corps Family and very much look forward to meeting many of you in the near future. In the meantime, this comes with my heartfelt and special wishes for a very happy 358th birthday.”
Charles concluded: “Per Mare, Per Terram” – the motto of the Royal Marines which translates from Latin to mean “by sea, by land”.
The monarch previously trained and served alongside the Royal Marines; He underwent training at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) in Lympstone, Devon, in order to qualify as a helicopter pilot.
His Majesty later served alongside the Royal Marines on board HMS Hermes, as part of 845 Naval Air Squadron, who completed military exercises in the Western Atlantic and the West Indies.
King Charles III holds the honorary rank of Admiral of the Fleet in the Royal Navy.
It was previously thought that Prince William would occupy the role of Captain General, which had been left vacant by Harry.
Anne, Princess Royal’s name had also been put forward to become the first woman to occupy the position.
On December 19, 2017, Harry succeeded his grandfather Prince Philip as the Captain General of the Royal Marines.
He was later promoted to the ranks of Lieutenant Commander of the Royal Navy, Major of the British Army and Squadron Leader of the Royal Air Force.
However, last February it was announced that the Duke of Sussex would give up his position as Captain General of the Royal Marines and hand back all other honorary military titles.
